It Had To Be Said
by Hisa-Ai
Summary: InuYasha says the three words the Universe itself is urging him to say to Kagome one chilly night.


**So this is just a short little thing about Kagome being mad at Inu because, well, quite frankly, he's an idiot. It's real short, so don't expect much. I was just thinking about InuYasha the other night and originally I wanted to write some Valentine's Day InuKag fluff, but it was five in the morning, I still hadn't been to sleep, and my tooth was bothering me, so this is what it turned out to be. I'm feeling a bit better now, if you're wondering. I had a horrid toothache for a few days and just as it's getting better my wisdom teeth decide to start acting up – or "erupting" if you wanna get all technical and crap... So, yeah, there's all that to take into account. The fun of growing up never does quite go away, does it?**

**I don't exactly have a specific time-frame for you guys for this one, just a rough estimation of when it takes place. Sometime in Final Act. Ha, that's _so_ helpful, right? Well chill out, I've got a bit more for you, just read on: Kouga is traveling with Inu and co., Kohaku is with Kikyou, Miroku tried sucking Naraku's heart in but instead got a wind-tunnel full of miasma and is still recovering and... **

**Yeah, okay, that's all I've got for you. Better than nothing, though, so don't you dare complain. **

**I just watched the first six or seven episodes of Final Act, but I was half asleep with some of them and suffering from the whole toothache thing with others, so I'm a bit fuzzy on what happened when, so I don't know if all these events I've mentioned coincide with what _actually_ happened, but oh well.**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own InuYasha. If I did, I'd have myself some God damn high quality pain killers to deal with this wisdom teeth crap instead of just Ibuprofen and orajel. Seriously, I'd make sure I couldn't feel myself _blink_ if I had that kind of dough laying around. Like, not even kidding. Legal, illegal, I wouldn't care; I'd just make sure I couldn't feel this crap. But, you know, since I can – and you can take my word on this – it's pretty obvious I _don't_ own InuYasha or anything associated with it. And it sucks for all of us.

**So, yeah, enjoy the story!**

* * *

**Fic:**

The wolf pup formerly known as Kouga was traveling with them until further notice, Miroku was still recovering from the miasma he'd sucked in in an attempt to kill Naraku, Kikyou and Kohaku weren't that far gone, and Kagome was, also until further notice, giving InuYasha the cold shoulder. Totally ignoring the fact that he even _existed_ and was instead interacting with that damn wolf, seeming interested in his stories and _laughing_ even at his stupid jokes... It was all InuYasha could do to keep Tetsusaiga in its sheath so he didn't take the damn wolf's head off...

It was barely twilight when Kagome served up dinner, but the cool breeze that shifted through the forest more than called for the warmth of her fresh batch of ninja food and hot tea. Once coupled with the blazing fire that somehow always stayed under control, everyone about was more than warm enough as they chased down the food Kagome handed out as though they never ate her food.

For a second, InuYasha was sure she was going to let him starve out of spite, but, after she'd served everyone else, she turned to him with a thawing look in her eyes and handed him his food as well. He nodded at her in thanks, not daring to break the spell of silence she'd cast, as it was sure to only anger her more.

The meal itself was had in absolute silence, the forest silent along with them as though dead from the tension; the calm before the storm, some theorized. Though it was much more likely that it was just too cold of a night for too much action in the woods around them, no one would think something as dull as that, not when they had the drama that _was_ InuYasha and Kagome's relationship to chew over along with their dinner.

As InuYasha brought a spoonful of whatever delicious concoction Kagome'd come up with up to his mouth, he looked up at the sky out of habit, and held his gaze at what he saw. Spoon still in his mouth, he relaxed the rest of his body and let his eyes trail over the twinkling trail of stars against the black backdrop of the sky. He 'hmm'ed quietly and took the spoon from his mouth. He always did his best thinking when admiring the beauty of something outside of himself, so it seemed. But this time... it felt _different_. The night sky still captivated him as it always did...

But it shouldn't have.

He had this nagging feeling that there was something much more important he should be attending to. Something he should get done and over with, both for his sake and for someone else's. No, it was more than just a nagging feeling, it was a desire, an instinct, and looking at the stars, they seemed to be… _mocking_ him. Yelling at him, twinkling furiously and telling him to _just do it_ _already_.

But what...?

When the breeze whipped up not a second later, however, and the chill was thrown back at them all times ten, he knew _exactly_ what he needed to do.

As Sango, Miroku, and Shippou all cuddled closer to Kirara in her larger form to warm up, InuYasha lowered his gaze back to Kagome. Despite being obviously cold – that shiver she'd just tried to suppress might fool that moron wolf, but it wasn't going to fool _him_ for even a second – she kept her distance from both Kouga and himself. At least she wasn't cozying up to the wolf, InuYasha thought to himself with a twinge of satisfaction.

Slowly then, so as not to draw attention, he removed his haori and put his bowl and spoon down before walking over to her and offering it to her. Her gaze softened slightly as Kouga scoffed and everyone else looked on curiously, wondering if they'd have some after dinner entertainment or if things were going to be civil between the pair for the rest of the night. When Kagome reached a hand out and touched the fabric carefully, keeping eye contact with him for as long as possible, it became clear that things were to be pretty calm for the rest of the night. A rather dull prospect, sure, but welcomed, nonetheless.

Blinking his amber eyes, InuYasha mumbled loud enough for everyone to hear, "I'm sorry, Kagome," before letting go of the fabric, leaving her grasping it and staring at his back as he retreated to his previous spot.

Yes, that had been _exactly_ what he needed to do. He was glad the Universe knew and was there to remind him of that. Especially considering what a moron he was sometimes, though you'd never hear _him_ admitting that aloud, he was glad nonetheless. And as Kagome slipped his haori on and snuggled close to it – much to the chagrin of Kouga – he was sure she was glad, too, though she might never admit it during any moment of sanity in her lifetime. Tonight, the Universe had their backs, but if that good fortune would stick with them in the near future when they would really need it would remain to be seen.

**Fin.**

* * *

**While I have your attention, may I address the elephant in the room? The switchup in VAs for The Final Act. **

**Anyone else... disappointed? I honestly fucking hate Kagome's new voice. Nothing against the new girl – Kira Tozer, I think? – I just... Sorry, I'm used to Moneca Stori as Kagome. I used to love me some Kagome/InuYasha interaction in the series, but with FA, I find Kagome a tad annoying. Kira Tozer does _not_ do Kagome justice. Sorry if you guys are fans of her, but I honestly hate it.**

** And what about Sesshoumaru's? you ask, well... Before seeing the Final Act, I'd obviously heard of the VA swicthup, and was nervous, as you all probably were, but I'd heard good things about Michael Daingerfield. Through the grapevine, I'd heard he was almost as good as David Kaye and would fill Sesshoumaru's role nicely...**

**Yeah, _no_.**

**I hate his voice. Almost as much as I hate Kagome's. _Almost_. I mean, if Daingerfield had voiced Sessh from the beginning, I'd have no qualms. If I didn't have Kaye's performance to compare to, I'd say he was a damn good Sesshoumaru, but since he hasn't, I'm going to have to give him a C-. Tozer gets an F-, because apparently I'm grading them now... or something...**

**Ah, anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story! The ending was sort of... ominous, for lack of a better word. This whole thing is far from the fluffiness I envisioned when I first got my pen and paper out a couple days ago, but oh well. **

**For the record, it's a little after four in the morning where I am right now, so if there are any mistakes or anything I over-looked, I'll probably get around to it later this afternoon when I get back on my computer, so be patient.**

**Anyway, be sure to let me know what you think!**

Always,  
_~Hisa-Ai~_


End file.
